French public-sector workers strike against Macron’s labour reforms
Paris — French public-sector workers went on strike on Tuesday against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to cull jobs and toughen pay conditions, forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights and disrupting school activities. Civil servants, teachers and nurses marched through cities across France, from Toulouse in the south to Strasbourg in the east, before the day’s biggest rally in Paris. It is the first time in a decade that all unions, representing more than 5-million public workers, have rallied behind a protest call. However, as the Paris rally got underway, the number of protesters appeared low. Turnout will be an important indicator of public appetite for protest against Macron’s social and economic reforms, which the former investment banker says are needed to unlock economic growth and put public finances on a more sustainable footing. Protests last month against labour law reform that were led by private-sector unions failed to persuade Macron to change policy course, b...
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